A Sure Thing
by Kaliner
Summary: Niles imagines how his meeting with Daphne would be like if they had met in the bar.


A Sure Thing

Niles Crane was feeling lonely. Which was no surprise since he had been separated from his wife for nearly a year, and their relationship was getting no better. Not to mention, he wasn't having any luck in the dating department at all. Sure, he saw women he was attracted to, but he had never been the most confident of people, and his nerves always prevented him from doing anything.

As he was driving to his brother's, Frasier, apartment, a bright neon sign caught his eyes. It said "A Sure Thing," and he immediately knew it was a single's bar. Despite his better judgment, he parked in front of the bar. Normally, he wouldn't do a thing like this, but his loneliness was becoming too much to handle. He longed for someone, anyone really. Even if it was only for a moment…

Niles took a deep breath and went inside the bar. He was dying for a sherry, anything to calm his nerves. However, a woman sitting at the bar caught his eye. She had chestnut brown hair, brown eyes, full lips, and god, she was beautiful.

His nerves were starting to act up on him, and he almost shied away and went back to his car, just to avoid this. But, he realized that she was in a single's bar, so she must be looking for someone, same as he was. So, he decided to take a chance.

"Excuse me?" he asked. The woman turned around and looked at him. "Is this seat taken?" he pointed to the empty seat next to her.

"No."

Niles took the seat next to her, feeling his heart hammering with every passing second.

"My name is Daphne," she said. He was taken aback that she had made the first move by introducing herself. Perhaps things were going to go better than he thought.

Daphne was such a lovely name, he reflected. "My name is Niles." Daphne smiled at him, and he found that he was lost in her deep brown eyes. There was no reason to fear anything in this bar. It was A Sure Thing for a reason, and maybe it would grant him his wish. He knew he was taking a risk, but he said it anyway, "What are you doing for the rest of your life?"

To his surprise, Daphne threw her head back and laughed. "Oh, you're so funny!"

"Funny, as in "this guy is out of his mind?'" he asked nervously.

"No. Funny, as in "this guy is charming!"'

"Oh… Really?"

Daphne nodded and wiped a tear away. "I'll answer your question, Niles. I'm not quite sure. But…" Her hand was on the bar, and it moved slowly to his. He didn't know how to react, so he just sat there, staring down at their hands. "Why don't we get to know each other first?"

After finishing up their drinks, Niles took Daphne for a walk downtown. Their arms were locked, and for once, he felt at ease. However, it was more than that. He had gone into that bar for some sort of companionship, even if it lasted a night. He found that, with Daphne, he wanted more. He barely knew her, and yet, he was ready to give her his heart.

"Physical therapist, huh?" he asked. "Have you had many patients?"

"A few. I'm taking care of a sweet old lady that lives a few blocks from here. Her arthritis acts up on her, but she's getting better."

Niles smiled. "I think that's lovely."

"What about you, being a psychiatrist? I'm sure you've helped dozens of people, and it must feel great."

"Most of the time, yeah. I mean, the helping people part is great. But, sometimes, it just doesn't work out, you know?" he shrugged. "I hate that part of my job, knowing that I can't help this person."

Daphne frowned and pressed her head against his shoulder as they walked. "You've helped me…"

"Have I?" He liked to think he had.

"I've been in such a dry spell lately, and you've helped ease my loneliness."

"The same can be said for you. I've been separated for a while, and being alone is so hard sometimes." He stopped, wishing he hadn't said anything about his wife. They weren't getting back together, so Daphne had no reason to feel threatened. If she felt threatened, that was. "Was that the wrong thing to say? Do you want to leave because I said that? I wouldn't blame you…"

Daphne quieted him with a kiss on the lips. "Hey, you and your wife aren't together anymore. Judging by the way you're talking, there's little chance of it happening. And she's probably out dating, right?"

He recalled the Society Page, which showed Maris and all her boyfriends. It even had an interview about one of her latest men, and about how much she adored him. "Yes, yes, she is."

"There's no harm in us being together."

Together… that word made his heart jump. "You don't want this to just be a one night thing…?"

"No. Do you?" her voice had become laced with nerves.

"No! I really… like you, Daphne."

Daphne smiled. "I like you too, Niles…"

Niles leaned in to initiate the kiss, and he couldn't believe how fast he had fallen for this girl. It didn't seem likely, it didn't seem real, and yet, here they were, and…

Niles had just dropped Daphne off at Frasier's. They had a nice night together, and she had laughed when he told her what things would have been like if they had met in that bar Roz took them. Would it really be like how he imagined? Would she have fallen for him so fast? Somehow, it seemed impossible because it hadn't happened yet.

_Oh, I love you, Dr. Crane. _

_ I love you, too, Daphne._

He smiled to himself and got into his car. There was still hope for him yet. They were so comfortable with each other, and maybe, just maybe, their getting together was a sure thing.


End file.
